Smyrna times., 1887-04-06
SCENE IN WASHINGTON TERRITORY.
Long Procession of Mounted Savages.
a Most Impressive Spectacle.

A Long Procession of Mounted Savages.
a Most Impressive Spectacle.
Some years ago, i'll late August. l was
travelling from the land Of the Blackfeet
to Walla Walla, in Washington territory.
had followed an Indian trail from the
Saskatchewan plains to the Cad0tte pass.
In the pass l unsaddled my horse for his
noon feed and sat down to smoke. l had
just left a noisy, buffalo hunting Indian
camp, and presently conjured an Indian
scene. Columns of Indians, painted and
stripped to their breech clOuts, filed past
me and disappeared in the haze which
hung over the eastern plains Great
herds OF buffalo sprang into life in my
brain, and bands of Cheyennea Sioux
and Blackfeet pursued them. When the
buffalo were falling and the plains be-
hind me were a map of ever shifting
light and color and active life, the Utes,
mounted and with bent bows and long.
grOOved war arrows drawn to their heads,
dashed past me and battle, savage and
bloody, ragged below.
! sat smoking and wondering why men
ever became lonesome when they could re-
people the remote solitude of highland and
plain and enjoy scenes of human interest,
when my horse threw up his head and
shifted inquinngly of the air and then
trotted to me, and stood by my side look
ing at the summit of the pass, which was
few yards above us. Presently an In
dian's head appeared above the crest of
the range | sat and looked at him and
he looked at me. Soon another and another
and another dark and savage visaged head
rose above the crest, and then the head
of column of mounted Indians rode into
sight. They were singing their marching
sOng-much as the Indians in the Wild
West show do. Every trail was occupied
The Indians looked neither to the right
nor to the left, but marched slowly past
me. There were old men, and warriors
and young men, all with their rifles acros.
their knees, and hundreds of women
some of whom were handsome, and many
children, and an army of dogs brought
up the rear.
thought 1 had conjured to very good
effect. For an hour this column swept
past me, and l sat on a rock and smoked
and looked at them. Not word wa.
spoken to me. Hardly a glance was cas-
at me. The migrating people talked t.
one another, and laughed, and had a gooC
time generally. Three thousand Indians
detiled in front of me. They wer,
gay with bright colored shirts, anC
gaudy blankets, and many coloreC
painted faces. knew that these In
dlans were portions of the Nez Perce
Flathead, Spokane, Okinagan, Wenat
chee, and Peud Oreille tribes, and tina
they were going to hunt buffalo on tn,
Saskatchewan plains and to fight tn,
Blackfeet. These Indians riding past M
in the CadOtte pass made one of the mos
/ impressive spectacles / ever saw in thl
heart of the republic.
That evening about dark, while wa
/ riding westward on the BlackfOOt rive
trail, l met a belated Indian who wa
hurrying after the main body. He mad
signs of inquiry to me, and answere,
with signs l did not fully understand
the sign language, and the anxious Indial
failed to interpret my meaning. Evi
/ IDENTIFY l conveyed information of direfu
import. The dusky warrior started il
his saddle. He slapped his mouth witt
open palm to express his great surprise
then wheeled his horse and galloped Of
before l had finished telling my story.
have often wondered what really tol,
that savage and to what l impelled him.
Frank Wilkeson in New York Times.